Fear of Terrorism

President Bush frequently states that the USA needs to pursue terrorists abroad and kill them where they hide so we do not have to fight them at home. He then admonishes those with defering opinions as being un-patriotic. There are many inherent problems with this line of reasoning.

First, the terrorists that destroyed the WTC were already in the U.S. The U.S. law enforcement agencies knew they were here. Communication failures and lack of proper oversight allowed those 19 hijackers to compromise three aircraft. The United States harbored them, albeit unwittingly, perhaps, but our government knew they were here and did little to prevent the terrorist efforts. We had opportunity yet let that opportunity to slip through our fingers. The U.S. ground war on Terrorism began on our soil.

Secondly, individuals and groups with criminal intent will find a way to implement their endeavors. Illegal border crossings occur every day along our southern border with Mexico. Border crossings between Canada and the United State could occur every day without anyone knowing any different. Illicit drugs cross our borders everyday. The U.S. has not the staff in place to control our own borders, the terrestrial, the marine, nor atmospheric.

Thirdly, the U.S. is not dealing with terrorists that have a simple political ideology. They are not motivated by greed nor avarice. These terrorists will not go away if the U.S. were to sign the Kyoto Protocol Agreement. These terrorists are grounded in religious fervor, grounded in the belief that they are truly right and powered by God. Educated and uneducated Muslims alike are caught by their message. Islam's sole source of guidance, the Koran, encourages their efforts. These terrorist will not go away. Not entirely. They may be marginalized, but they will not be extinguished. Education, democracy, Christianity, which to a Muslim might be construed as a spiritual step backwards, or our own WMD will change the minds of Al-Qaeda.

Fighting Terrorism at home, within the United States, is inevitable. The United States has too many miles of coastline and miles of territory to monitor. Terrorist cells most likely already exist within the U.S. waiting patiently. If not, a patient terrorist could simply slip in with a fake passport, i.e. one from Saudi Arabia or Iran or Jordan or Morocco or Sudan. The mindset of a terrorist does not seem to be undermined by the use of force, education, democracy, or the death of a child.